National University found a familiar comfort at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Just ten days after defeating the UP Fighting Maroons at the same venue, the already-eliminated Bulldogs pulled off an impressive 63-54 upset over the top-seeded De La Salle Green Archers, closing their UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball campaign on a high note on Wednesday.
With this win, NU ended the season with a 5-9 record, winning three of its last four games. They also became the only team this season to defeat both the Green Archers and the Fighting Maroons, who will enter the semifinals as the top two seeds with twice-to-beat advantages.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“So happy for the players that they gave their best up to the last. See you next year. It’s that simple. Definitely, and hopefully, we will be really healthy next year so that at least our performance will be good,” said NU head coach Jeff Napa.
This time, NU got the job done to end La Salle’s nine-game winning streak, unlike their first-round encounter, where the Green Archers escaped with a 78-75 win after Malian slotman Mo Diassana suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Nigerian center Henry Agunanne tried to rally La Salle from a 42-51 deficit midway through the fourth quarter, scoring six points in an 8-2 run to cut the gap to just three, 50-53, with 4:38 remaining.
However, Jake Figueroa and PJ Palacielo responded with their own 8-2 run, sealing the win with 1:13 left, 61-52.
“We didn’t make it to the Final Four, but I saw the potential all season long. I’m also happy even though we didn’t make it to the Final Four, but our remaining games in this second round, we did well and finished well,” said Palacielo, who recorded 16 points and eight rebounds.
Figueroa contributed 14 points and three rebounds, while Tebol Garcia chipped in eight points—all in the first half, where the Bulldogs led 38-32.
Meanwhile, Patrick Yu and Donn Lim played their final games as Bulldogs.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
La Salle, with a 12-2 record, heads to the Final Four having only lost to NU and the University of the East.
The Bulldogs’ defense limited reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao to just six points on 3-of-17 shooting, though he managed seven rebounds, five assists, and a steal in over 31 minutes.
Phillips led the Green Archers with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Raven Gonzales contributed nine points and nine rebounds. Agunanne delivered a season-best performance with eight points and 15 rebounds for La Salle.
The Scores:
NO 63 – Palacielo 16, Figueroa 14, Garcia 8, Manansala 6, Enriquez 5, Padrones 5, Jumamoy 3, Yu 3, Dela Cruz 2, Lim 1, Santiago 0, Tulabut 0, Francisco 0, Parks
DLSU 54 – Phillips 18, Gonzales 9, Agunanne 8, Quiambao 6, Ramiro 4, David 3, Macalalag 2, Gollena 2, Dungo 1, Marasigan 1, Konov 0, Austria 0, Alian 0.
Quarterscores: 17-17, 38-32, 47-39, 63-54.
